SAD!! Dawn Accident Claimed 19 Lives At Soysambu Area.

Nineteen people died in a grisly road accident that occurred near Gilgil early Saturday morning, raising serious concerns on road safety in the country coming barely three weeks after more than 30 people died in two separate accidents on the Mombasa highway.

Police said the deceased are all passengers who were in a Busia-bound bus that collided with two trucks at Soysambu area on the Nakuru-Nairobi highway.

“We had a bad accident this morning where we lost 18 people on the spot,” Nakuru police Commander Hassan Barua told journalists at the scene. Another passenger succumbed to injuries in hospital.

“The accident occurred at 2:30 am when the bus headed to Busia collided with two trucks when trying to overtake,” Barua said.

According to a report by NTSA Director, the Saturday early morning accident at Soysambu area on the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway that claimed 19 lives was caused by reckless driving.

A preliminary investigation also indicates that the bus was using a wrong route according to National Transport Safety Authority Director General Francis Meja.

“The bus was overtaking a trailer without sufficient clearing distance which resulted in the driver going back into the lane to avoid a head on collision with an oncoming trailer,” Meja told journalists on Saturday.

“The miscalculation resulted in the oncoming trailer colliding with the right side of the bus ripping it off.”

He says 22 people are currently admitted to the hospital while 10 others have been treated and discharged.